Alcoholism, a chronic ailment is the another name of excessive dependence on alcohol. Similar to any other chronic disease, if it is left untreated, alcoholism can lead to life-threatening outcomes.
Thankfully enough, there are quite a few effective treatment programs to combat alcoholism of which alcohol detox and rehabilitation program have several crucial components.
Alcohol detoxification
Alcohol detox is one of the crucial primary steps for managing alcoholism. It is a medically prescribed span of alcohol withdrawal in which physicians prescribe medications for controlling the symptoms of alcoholism.
For ensuring the safety of the patient, the health of the patient is constantly monitored by the doctors. Besides the optimal medical treatment, the patient is also taught about the alcoholism that the patient has given in and its possible treatment.
It is extremely important to medically supervise the alcohol-dependent patients while they are withdrawing from alcohol. This is because the symptoms of detox treatment can be dangerous and may include:
- Sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Tremors and seizures
- Anxiety and nervousness
- Agitation
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations and sleeplessness
Even convulsions take place in some rare instances. But the point is that all patients undergoing detox treatment don’t face the same symptoms in uniform intensity.
It is crucial to note here that the medicines, herbs, and alcohol detox diet which are normally prescribed for the patients don’t make one stop drinking. The determination and commitment are the first and foremost criterion of the self-detox program.
The function of the medicines and other supports is to simply cleanse the system and help the body adjust with the benefits of the alcohol detox whilst the person is not drinking. Generally, the doctors prescribe vitamin B supplements as the patients undergoing detox often do not eat properly and lack nutrition. The vitamin B1 deficiency is the most common effects of detox and may lead to severe brain conditions.
It is natural to have the craving and after effects even when the alcohol detox time and process is over. But the willpower and the constant motivation of how to detox from alcohol is required to fend off the cravings.
Normally, the alcohol detoxification is executed in a specialized unit, medical ward of a hospital or an outpatients ward. If you are wondering how long does detox takes, it normally ranges from a few days to a week and is a pre-requisite for the entire treatment.
Detoxification with the help of general practitioners
The general practitioners are also experts in prescribing the remedies for detox. The most commonly opted detox plan comprise of the following treatment plan:
- A high dose of medicine for the first one or two days so that the patient completely refrains from alcohol.
- Then the dose is gradually reduced over the next few days. This helps in reduction and even prevention of withdrawal symptoms.
- The patient shall have to agree that he or she will totally abstain from alcohol. Sometimes, a breathalyzer can also be used to make sure that the patient is not drinking.
- Generally, the doctors, as well as a nurse, frequently visit the patients to see the progression or check the withdrawal symptoms.
- Though the patient is kept under the supervision of the experts, support from family and friends is of immense help during this hard time. The nurses often choose to share the responsibility of giving the detox drugs, juice or tea with a friend or a family member.
Detoxifications with the aid of health professionals
Some people are particularly trained to help certain individuals come out of the ill-effects of alcoholism. Normally, these experts work for patients with any kind of mental or physical ailments and when they have:
- Inadequate support from home or society
- A clinical history of acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms
- Failed in previous attempts of detoxification
The medicines used in these special units are almost similar to the ones prescribed by the general physicians. But the difference is that these rehab units have more staffs and doctors to control the risk associated with different stages of detoxification and help the patient coping with alcoholism.
Generally, an individual dealing with alcoholism can also avail the detox from home by keeping in-home support and counseling.
But in the case of an individual with severe alcohol-related issues such as withdrawal seizures or DTs, or when the patient is aged under 16, he or she may have to be admitted to the hospitals.
Other groups of patients with difficulties in learning, socializing and other difficult ailments may also be required to be admitted to the hospital.
Staying off alcohol after the detox treatment
It is often found that a person with uncontrollable cravings for alcohol is less likely to drinking excessively with the right counseling or other supports for staying off from alcohol.
Besides doctors, nurses and other health practitioners, there are also several self-help groups which assist individuals to abstain from drinking. It is an ongoing process and controlling your desires is one of the best ways to naturally abstain from drinking.
Reasons why you should shun alcoholism right away
It’s true that the present generation belongs to a society that’s sodden with alcohol and its ill-effects. But not a single flashy billboard or a posh magazine would ever bother to share the benefits of abstaining from alcohol.
Though drinking is common, the negative impacts it brings along surpass the perky advertisements for alcohol. Even if you are not a hard drinker, you should leave it without much delay in order to stay fit, free from diseases, enjoy your conjugal life and be smarter than ever.
Alcohol is not going to make you smart but if you quit drinking, there is a chance that you will be able to think on your feet.
This is because drinking alcohol would bring a dulling effect on your senses whereas when you undergo an alcohol detox, you will definitely develop a clear and pristine outlook on all aspects of your life.
You would become a better thinker, be able to catch new ideas inquisitively and become much more mindful of your surroundings.
In simpler words, the farther you are from alcohol, the closer you are to achieving your goals.